When The Ice Thaws
by xMissWhitneyBexx
Summary: It's happening, the ice is finally melting. But will everyone want that? Based on three major characters and the Casualty series finale and series start. *WARNING: THREE MAJOR CHARACTER DEATHS*. I'm upset and you'll be upset but let's all pray for everyone! [Connie, Grace and SURPRISE]
1. Chapter 1

**Ok... Let's all talk about that series finale and cry. Now, let's talk about the series promo for the next one and cry. Again. Now we've got that out of our systems a little, we can move on to this story. As the title suggests, yes, ice is going to thaw for real! This is my take on everything and three main characters die. You may have guessed the first two but hopefully, they're alive and okay and all but in my story, unfortunately... Connie and Grace do die and they are the Ice Queen and the Ice Princess. Now, who's the third person? How do they die? What have they got to do with ice? Well, if you have guessed from the hints scattered all over the place then kudos for you! Now onto the story, before I whip out my ice cream and cry even more.**

* * *

Cal presented Charlie with a large cake as everyone sang 'For He's A Jolly Good Fellow' and shouted 'Happy 30th Anniversary'.

"You're officially old, Charlie!" Cal joked.

Charlie chuckled. "According to this cake, to anyone outside, they'd think I'm 30 years old."

"In your dreams, old man," Jacob added in, making everyone laugh.

Their celebrations were cut short when Holby's CEO, Henrick Hanssen walked in, a solemn look on his face which didn't go unnoticed by the aged nurse.

"Mr. Hanssen, is everything alright?"

"No, Nurse Fairhead. Although congratulations are in order, I must deliver some... pressing news."

Everyone suddenly became alarmed. Where were Connie and Grace?

"What is it?" Dylan asked, hiding his impatience as Henrick cast him a quick glance.

"I'm afraid I received a call. From the police. I am sincerely sorry to say that Mrs. Beauchamp and her daughter, Grace, were involved in a serious car incident."

Everyone's hearts dropped as Jacob closed his eyes, not taking in the full extent of what happened.

"We have to be sympathetic and careful in this situation as the police are treating it as a murder investigation. They believe a patient's mother had deliberately driven them off a cliff."

"A cliff!" Robyn squeaked, her hand finding Max's.

"Yes, unfortunately. It was high impact, they wouldn't have felt a thing." Henrick assured the colleagues.

Jacob scoffed. "They would have felt the fear of being plunged 60 ft down a cliff!"

Grimaces all around didn't go unnoticed as Henrick sighed, shaking his head.

"I apologise for being the bringer of such bad news on what is supposed to be a happy occasion. Their bodies are being brought in for identification and Grace's father has been contacted. We must be absolutely delicate in this situation."

"Oh, we'll be delicate! Our Clinical Lead's just died!" Dylan snapped, bringing a hand to his face.

It wasn't long until Louise of all people gripped onto Lily for support who look close to tears herself. She was comforted by a hand from Ethan who held onto his brother.

Alicia silently walked out, not wanting to intrude on such an intimate moment between Connie's hard-working team. She hadn't noticed Henrick follow her back to the ED.

"Are you, alright, Dr. Munroe?"

Alicia nodded, her eyes twinkling. "Yes, Mr. Hanssen."

"Take the time you need. Deaths can be... hard."

He walked off, leaving her to her dark thoughts.

Back at the party. Charlie went around, giving around glasses of water to those who were sick with sadness and despair.

"Charlie... We should be helping you. Connie and you were close." Noel told him.

Charlie looked up. "Connie would want me to be there for all of you." He stated, making everyone look at him with teary eyes. "She would be so proud of you all for taking this as best as you could. She wouldn't have wanted you guys to halt the ED for her. She would want you guys to continue to make it thrive in her honour and memory. Both hers and poor Grace's."

That's when Lily lost it. "They were innocent! Grace... she was just a child!" She cried.

Louise nodded at her. "I was helping treat her friend. She was an amazing child. And Connie... an amazing leader and mother."

"Why would someone be so cruel?" Ethan asked quietly as he held Lily's shaking hands.

Charlie shrugged. "There are some deranged people in this world who will set out to make other people's lives unbearable. But we will all get through this together."

"They didn't deserve it," Lily mumbled, her sobs continuing quietly.

For the second time in his life, Charlie didn't know what to do. He placed the tray of water down and picked up his cake. They weren't going to need this any more.

As he looked down at the cursive numbers '3' and '0', he noticed dust starting to settle down on it. Looking up, he saw a large crack starting to form.

"Everyone look out!"

But it was too late for one.


	2. Chapter 2

A smashed TV laid on the ground, replaying a heartfelt message from Connie and her daughter Grace.

 _"See you at the party. We love you!"_

"Caleb!"

"Ethan!"

"Charlie!"

"Dylan!"

"Noel!"

"Jacob!"

"Louise!"

"Robyn!"

"Max!"

Their names continued to be called out as doctors, nurses and firefighters struggled to pull back rubble and help those stuck underneath the rubble.

Dylan and Max stumbled out of the rubble, coughing as dust filled their lungs. "Where's Robyn?" Max asked.

"Where's Robyn?" Max asked.

Nurse Fletcher followed them, swatting the air of dust particles as doctors quickly tended to them. "I heard her," Fletch said, nudging his head in a random direction. "She was screaming."

Max quickly ran in the direction which Fletch had pointed to. He pulled back pieces of ceiling along with two other firefighters and Jez and Iain.

"Robyn?! We'll get to you!" Jez called out to her.

"Ethan!"

Iain turned back, leaving Max, Jez, and a firefighter to help Robyn. He heard Cal's voice worriedly call his brother's name.

"Cal, mate? You okay?"

"My... my leg's stuck and I can't find Ethan!" Cal replied as Iain and firefighter found him.

They heard a groan. "He's here. He's alright." Louise said, pushing rubble off herself and Ethan.

Ethan coughed out. "I'm fine, Cal. Just let them get your leg out." He assured his older brother.

"Thank God." Cal breathed out as the firefighter released his leg from its demise. Iain helped him stand and reach his brother for a hug.

Ethan looked around, watching his other colleagues being taken out of the rubble and tended to. All except from one.

"Where's Lily?"

Alicia finally finished tending to Noel as she spotted an arm under a large piece of ceiling.

"I-I think I found her," she whispered, pointing to the direction of the arm. She recognised those perfectly manicured nails from anywhere.

Firefighters rushed to the arm and carefully lifted up the piece of ceiling, with the help of five pairs of hands.

Underneath, they found the woman in question, unconscious.

"Okay, can we have some help here, please?" Iain called out.

Alicia ran over, being one of the only doctors unaffected by the incident. She checked Lily's pulse.

"She's... I can't feel anything!" Alicia cried.

Jez placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her fingers away before replacing it with his. "There's a faint pulse. We need to move her straight away but secure her neck!"

The firefighters nodded before Iain gently put on a neck brace and they all slipped Lily onto a gurney and took her straight to Resus.

Ethan followed, gripping onto Lily's hand tightly.

"You need to get that arm checked out, mate," Jez told him.

Ethan shook his head. "I will after I know Lily's alright."

"You will just get in the way, Dr. Hardy. See to your brother." Dylan grumbled, brushing a locum's hands away from the cuts on his forehead.

Ethan sighed, letting go of Lily's hand just as they reached the doors of Resus. He then allowed himself to be led in the direction of his brother.

Jacob walked into the ED, his heart heavy with dread and sorrow. He could feel his eyes starting to close and he let himself go, not before hearing his name being called out.

"Jacob!"

"Connie..." He mumbled.

Robyn rushed through the cubicles, looking for the white-haired nurse they all so desperately loved.

"Charlie?!" She called, opening a cubicle.

Cal chuckled lightly before groaning out in pain. "Sorry, wrong cubicle."

Robyn winced. "You'll be okay. I have to find Charlie."

Cal and Ethan nodded as Robyn rushed back out.

Cal took the time to study his brother. He held his arm close to his chest and his glasses were broken, showing a horrible bruised bridge of nose underneath. "Ethan, sort yourself out, please."

"I will after you're okay and Lily's okay."

"Cute but seriously, you're in pain and that nose is bruising up pretty quickly."

"I'm fine," Ethan mumbled, closing his eyes and leaning his head down on Cal's good leg.

Cal became alarmed. "Ethan? You okay, bro?"

Ethan jolted awake, rubbing his head. "Hmm?"

"You passed out on me. You've probably got a concussion so stay awake for us, will you?"

Ethan nodded, leaning back into his chair. "I'll... get myself checked out."

"Good. I'm not losing you again." Cal mumbled before calling for a nurse.

Robyn continued to look through cubicles filled with her colleagues. She then remembered that she hadn't checked Resus yet.

"Charlie!" She sighed in relief when she saw a slightly bruised Charlie tending to Lily. "I got scared and went to find you!"

Charlie gave a weak smile as he gestured to the doctors and nurses surrounding Lily. "She's not responding."

Robyn's heart fluttered as she finally heard the intense beeping in the background.

"We're losing her..."

Robyn shook her head in disbelief as she was pushed to the side to let a critically hurt Jacob be wheeled in.

"Jacob, can you hear me?" Dylan asked, shining a torch into his eyes. "He's unresponsive."

Robyn swallowed her fear for Lily and Jacob and slowly backed out, bumping into Max.

"I'm here," he assured her.

She didn't reply. She just gripped onto him tightly.

Alicia took deep breaths in and out. She couldn't get the image out of her mind. The image of Lily's eyes staring back at hers. Unmoving. Unseeing. The blood that trickled from the side of her head. Her dislocated arm which led to her ultimate discovery.

She wanted to cry. Connie was dead. Grace was dead. Two of her colleagues, critically hurt.

"Alicia?"

Her lips wavered as she lifted her head to see Louise with her arms wide open. Running into them, she let out her cries and gripped her friend tighter.

Noel sighed, gripping onto the reception desk tightly. Iain and Jez stood beside him, frowns on their faces.

"First Connie and Grace... Now this."

"Our happiest moment turned darkest hour." Jez replied, solemnly.

Iain turned to face him, shaking his head. "You always have to be so dramatic."

"It's true." Noel defended him. "Look, Lily... she has a 30/70 survival rate right now and Jacob's not looking too good either."

"What we need to know is _how_ the building collapsed on us." Iain said, flicking a piece of rubble of his shirt.

"It's been stable for years." Noel added.

Jez shrugged. "Maybe they were doing building work?"

"Building work or not, we almost died and Lily and Jacob could die."

Slowly, Louise and Alicia made their way over to them. "I don't think I can do this," Louise sighed.

"I get you." Noel told her, giving her a hug.

They heard a door open and Charlie walked through, pain written in his eyes.

He reached them and sighed, shaking his head. "We... They couldn't save-"

"Don't say it," Louise begged."

"I'm sorry guys but we lost-"

He was cut off by Henrick's appearance.

"Nurse Fairhead, may we talk, please?" He asked gently.


End file.
